Vision

To make a measurable, lifelong impact on the education and well-being of children, youth, their families, and our community.

Mission

To inspire creativity, foster skill-building and encourage confidence. We aim to nurture growth by developing individuality and promoting an inclusive community.

It takes a village! We encourage involvement amongst our community, working with families to develop programming that is innovative and inclusive and supports the lifelong journey of learning through exploration in the arts, education and mindfulness practice.

With this mission at the heart of our centre, Oak Learners offers an alternative learning atmosphere, working with your child’s unique learning style to inspire their strengths and interests. We offer a wide range of programming designed with creative and inquisitive learners in mind.

Core Values

Integrity in all endeavours. Honesty & Transparency in all communication. Accountability to ourselves, our mission and our Community. A commitment to Innovation in education, and development. Collaboration to embrace Diversity.

Programming & Scheduling

Oak Learners makes every effort to maintain an updated program listing and schedule through our website. We may have to make changes to our program offerings at any point during our school year. Oak Learners also reserves the right to change class times, teachers and program offerings at any time. In this case, we will make every effort to accommodate your programming and scheduling needs wherever possible.

Cell Phones

Cell phones are NOT permitted to be used in classes or for use in common areas by children under 14 years of age. If a child under 14 brings a cell phone to school, it must be turned OFF and kept in the school office until the end of the day.

Lost-and-Found

Oak Learners DOES NOT assume ANY responsibility for ANY personal property (including, but not limited to clothing, jewelry, cameras, cell phones, computers, tablets, purses, wallets, vehicles, etc.) if items left on school premises get lost or damaged.

If your child leaves an item behind, we will do our best to place it in the Lost-and-Found until it can be retrieved. At the end of each month, all items remaining in the Lost-and-Found will be donated to a local children’s charity.

At Oak Learners, we believe that open communication between parents, teachers, and administration is key to every child’s success. Supporting each student’s growth is a collaborative effort that thrives on regular, respectful communication among all adults involved. Day-to-day communication takes place through the BrightWheel App An invitation to join your child's profile on Brightwheel will be sent via email.

Brightwheel also serves as our attendance platform and it is mandatory for parents or caregivers to sign students in and out each day. This system provides accurate tracking for attendance, Before and After Care, and billing.

Brightwheel can also be used to indicate a child’s absence or communicate important updates such as early pickups, late arrivals, or alternate pickup arrangements. We ask that parents use the app for these notifications whenever possible.

Teachers use Brightwheel to share class announcements, photos, and student portfolio updates. Parents may also message teachers directly through the app; however, please note that teachers are often engaged with students throughout the day and may only be able to respond before or after school hours or during scheduled preparation times.

Extended hours of supervision are available if needed for an additional $10/hour. Please let us know upon registration if you think you will be needing extended hours so we can plan accordingly for appropriate supervision. You may drop your child off as early as 8:45am and pick up as late as 3:15 pm without being charged for extended care. Extended care passed 3:45 will be considered a late pick up and will be sent to aftercare. Aftercare will be invoiced at the end of each month.

Before School: 7:30 - 9:00 am / After School 3:30 - 6:00 pm

We also encourage you to register for some of our after-school programs, such as tutoring or music lessons, if you require regular after school care.

Daily arrivals, Late Arrivals / Early Pick-ups or Full Absences

If you will be missing a day, it is the parents’ responsibility to post a message in the Brightwheel App as soon as possible to notify us of your child/ren’s absence.

Children who are late may need to be dropped off at an off-site location if their group has already left. Children who need to be picked up early may also need to be retrieved from an off-site location. Please let us know in the morning if this is the case so we can coordinate pickups accordingly.

The Academic School year at Oak Learners follows a 10-month school year and runs from September to June. School closures and holidays areas noted here. If there are any changes to this calendar, parents will be notified through written communication.

It is very rare for Oak Learners to close due to weather, as we follow the Toronto District School Board severe weather procedures. In the event of a school closure prior to the start of the day, all families will be notified in Brightwheel by 7:00 a.m. If a storm occurs throughout the day, parents will be notified of the school closing and staff will remain until all students are picked up.

All students attending school are required to participate in all school activities.

The administrative staff are conscientious about extreme weather conditions and follow the Toronto District School Board recommendations. In the event of cold weather, students will remain indoors if the temperature exceeds –28 degrees Celsius. Outdoor time will be shortened if the temperature falls between –21 and –27 degrees Celsius. At the other extreme, if the outdoor temperature exceeds +35 degrees Celsius, the students will remain indoors.

Daily Physical Activity

All students are expected to participate in a minimum of 20 minutes of Daily Physical Activity (DPA), as outlined in the Ontario Ministry of Education Daily Physical Activity Policy and adhere to the guidelines for DPA safety and procedure as outlined in the Ontario Physical Education Safety Guidelines published by OPHEA.

DPA at Oak Learners may take the form of Yoga, Dance, Indoor Games, or Neighbourhood Walks and Outings. Since we do not have a dedicated outdoor play-space at Oak Learners, students walk to local parks daily with their teachers for free play and organized outdoor activities. At times, teachers may also arrange for an alternate community location or activity for DPA options.

The school day runs from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm.
AM Drop-off is from 8:45-9:00 am. PM Dismissal is from 3:30-3:45 pm.

A Typical Day at Oak Learners

(Subject to change / Seasonal Variations)

*additional fee

Extended Hours (BASE Camp; Before & After School Enrichment Care)

Extended hours are available for Day School students at a rate of $10 per hour. Families who anticipate needing before or after care are encouraged to let us know in advance so we can plan appropriate staffing.

Before Care is available from 7:30 to 9:00 am, and After Care is available from 3:30 to 6:00 pm.
Please note *Any student who has not been picked up by 3:45 pm will be brought to Extended Care, and the applicable hourly rate will apply.

All extended-hour billing is processed directly through Brightwheel, based on each child’s check-in and check-out times. For this reason, it is very important that parents/caregivers complete the Brightwheel check-in/check-out process at both drop off and pick up. This ensures accurate attendance records and prevents families from being inadvertently billed for hours their child did not attend any extended hours at school.

While staff will assist whenever possible, parents are responsible for logging their own drop offs and pick ups each day, as teachers may be occupied with students during these transition times. If you ever need help navigating Brightwheel, we’re always here to support you.

At Oak Learners, our mission includes bringing personalized education to every student. This has always included the option for students to “Bring Your Own Device”. We find that when students learn how to personalize and navigate their own tablet or laptop, they are more efficient and more confident with academic tasks that require technology.

Students at the Primary and Junior level have access to our classroom desktop computers and school iPad. The elementary curriculum includes frequent technology lessons, including typing, Internet Safety and Responsibility, Research skills, spreadsheets and more. At Oak Learners, we want to also equip our students with 21st Century skills by teaching them to apply critical thinking skills and learn collaboration skills for research and presentations.

If a child is bringing a device to school, it will be kept in the classroom or the office until it will be used for academic purposes and must be labelled with your child’s name. We also ask that you provide the teacher(s) with the password or code to unlock the device. If you would like us to help with setup of Apps and security settings, then we will also need the administrator password. Please contact your child’s teacher to discuss the BYOD needs or routine for your child.

*Note: Oak Learners owns the data and although students and staff may use their own devices, they cannot take personal or proprietary information out of the school.

**REMINDER: Oak Learners DOES NOT assume ANY responsibility for ANY personal property (including, but not limited to clothing, jewelry, cameras, cell phones, computers, tablets, purses, wallets, vehicles, etc.) if items left on school premises get lost or damaged.

Before School: 7:30 - 9:00 am / After School 3:30 - 6:00 pm

PA Day Camp is included for all students registered in B.A.S.E. Camp. For a list of PA Days see our School Year Calendar

Please confirm your child’s attendance in Brightwheel prior to the PA Day to help us ensure accurate attendance and staffing.

Tutoring sessions are available Monday through Friday, 3:00pm-8:00pm

For Terms and more information visit our Tutoring page

Private Music Lessons are booked in 30-minute, 45-minute, and 60-minute sessions, at a mutually convenient time that recurs on a weekly basis at the same day/time each week.

For Semesters and more information visit our Music Lessons page.

Oak Learners offers a variety of exciting camps throughout the year, including PA Day Camps, Holiday Camp, March Break Camp, and Summer Camps. Each camp day blends creativity, movement, and exploration, featuring an outdoor adventure to a nearby park or nature trail. Our camps are designed to spark curiosity, build confidence, and make learning feel like an adventure.

Please ensure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather and has the necessary outdoor gear based on the day’s forecast. Packing a change of clothes is also recommended, just in case your child needs to change into something dry after outdoor activities.

Camps & Summer Camps

Winter Break Camps: For current Holiday Break availability visit Holiday Camps
March Break Camps: for current March Break availability visit March Break Camps
PA Day Camps: For current PA Day Camp availability visit PA Day Camps
Summer Camps: For current Summer Camp availability visit Summer Camps

Camp Hours

All Day Camps at Oak Learners run from 9:00 am-4:00 pm. You may drop your child off as early as 9:00 and pick up as late as 4:00 without being charged for extended care.

Extended Care During Camp weeks

Registration and Extended Care Options

• Holiday Camps may be purchased on an à la carte basis, allowing families to register for individual days as needed.
• March Break and Summer Camps are available for weekly registration ONLY.

Extended Care for March Break and Summer Camps is available at a cost of $50 per week for either AM or PM care. This optional add-on can be purchased directly through our website at Day Camps Extended Hours.

**Please note that NO extended care is available during any Holiday Break Camps. Holiday Camp hours end strictly at 4:00 PM without exception.**

Oak Learners is strictly a NUT-FREE facility.

To maintain optimal learning throughout the students day, each student is encouraged to bring healthy and well-balanced choices for morning and afternoon Nutrition Breaks.

Some students at our school have life-threatening food allergies, and we have, as a school and a community, worked to establish practices and systems to ensure that all our students are able to enjoy a safe and inclusive learning environment. We understand it can be confusing and sometimes the guidelines seem unclear. So to help clarify, we are including some facts, along with some responses to commonly asked questions (Q&A) and points of confusion within our handbook.

Some Facts and Realities About Food and Allergies at Oak Learners:

• At the moment we have students at our school with life-threatening allergies to the following items:** nuts and tree nuts (peanuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews etc)
• This list, of course, is partial and temporary. It may change as new students come into our school community every year, or as new allergies are identified.
• There are no universally “safe” or “unsafe” foods -- different students have different allergies, and being careful to observe things like “no peanuts” directives is NOT the same as ensuring food safety.

*** All anaphylactic reactions -- whether to peanuts or to any of the other foods listed above -- have the potential to be life threatening.**

ALL foods sent to Oak Learners MUST be PEANUT and TREE NUT FREE

There will be absolutely NO sharing of food, even between siblings. Please do not send treats for special occasions, as we are unable to distribute food or drinks to the students.

Reusable, pre-filled water bottles are required as they will be used throughout the day and refilled as needed.

Oak Learners adheres to a strict Boomerang Lunch policy, therefore ALL containers, wrappers and leftover food will be sent home at the end of the day. We also strongly encourage the use of reusable food containers, when appropriate.

Students of all ages are encouraged to take an active role in preparing and packing their lunches. This also allows the child to be better able to identify their own containers etc. Please ensure each child has their own lunch bag and that all containers and bags are labeled.

Please notify us upon registration and if there are any medical and/or dietary concerns as well as any changes with your child(ren) regarding food and/or drinks.

The following enhancements to the facility and programs at Oak Learners are being put into place to protect the health and safety of our students for the 2024-2025 school year, our staff, and our families. All policies and procedures were developed in accordance with guidelines from Toronto Public Health. All policies and procedures are continuously reviewed and revised regularly to be always in accordance with the most current guidelines from Toronto Public Health.

Facility Enhancements

• Oak Learners has increased daily cleaning and sanitizing of our facility, as per Toronto Public Health guidelines.
• All unnecessary or hard-to-clean items have been removed from classrooms. All other materials and equipment undergo daily cleaning and/or cleaning between uses.

Programming Enhancements

• Designing our unique programs with an increased emphasis on Outdoor Education to maximize the learning opportunities for children while we spend at least 30% of our school day outside.
• Maintaining our focus on social and emotional learning for our students through a supportive and flexible program.

Participant & Staff Requirements

• Students will be reminded to practice healthy respiratory etiquette, such as speaking to others from a safe distance, coughing and sneezing into their shirt or sleeve and staying home when sick.
• Current guidelines from Toronto Public Health regarding infection prevention & control will be frequently reviewed and adhered to, as needed.

It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to:

• Inform the school principal when their child is diagnosed as being at risk for anaphylaxis
• In a timely manner, complete medical forms and the Student Emergency Procedure Plan, which includes a photograph, description of the child's allergy, emergency procedures, contact information, and consent to administer medication
• Provide the school with updated medical information at the beginning of each school year, and or camp and whenever there is a significant change related to their child
• Inform service providers of programs delivered on school property by non-school personnel of their child's anaphylaxis and care plan, as these programs are not the responsibility of the school.

It is strongly recommended that anaphylactic students wear medical identifying information (e.g., MedicAlert® bracelet). The identifying information could alert others to the student’s allergies and indicate that the student carries an epinephrine auto-injector. Information accessed through a special number on the identifying information can also assist first responders, such as paramedics, to access important information quickly.

See www.medicalert.ca for ordering information.

Epi-Pen Policy Children who require an Epi-Pen must ALWAYS have their Epi-Pen at school, preferably worn on their body at all times. Oak Learners also request that parents provide a second Epi-Pen for the school to keep onsite or in a staff member’s First Aid Kit, in the case of an emergency.

All medication, prescription and non-prescription must be handed into the office clearly labeled with the medication name, designated dose time and student’s name and should come in its original packaging whenever possible. Office administrators will distribute medication at the designated times.

The school does NOT supply ANY form of pain management medication, indigestion tablets or throat lozenges.

All staff are trained in emergency procedures during the professional development time in August. Students will receive direction and practice of the various procedures throughout the year.

In the unlikely event of a serious accident or illness, the school will phone a parent/guardian immediately. If the school is unable to reach a parent/guardian, the emergency contact provided on the student’s registration would be called. (Any injury or illness that requires medicine or further treatment must be recorded into the “incident report” book stating the cause of injury and treatment provided).

The parent makes the final decision regarding the injury, including whether they wish to pick up the child or allow the child to finish the school day. Parents are required to notify the office of any change in contact information.

ALL HEAD INJURIES, regardless of how minor, an incident report must be logged in the school’s “incident report” book, along with a phone call to the parent. The staff that brings the student to the office is to ensure that the call home is made and write all necessary information in the incident book.

When emergency services are required, 911 is called immediately. We ensure that the student is always supervised, kept warm and calm. Every attempt will be made to contact the parents once the situation is in control.

Sensitivities to Scents: We are a SCENT REDUCED FACILITY

Some of our staff and students experience health concerns arising from exposure to some scented products. Therefore, Oak Learners has instituted a policy to provide a scent-reduced environment for all students, employees and visitors. The policy includes smells or odours from ingredients and chemicals in cosmetics (perfume, make-up, shampoo, deodorant, etc.) or from other products such as air fresheners, cleaners, etc. As a result, we kindly ask that visitors cooperate with remaining scent-reduced to help accommodate those who have scent sensitivities.

• A nonrefundable enrollment commitment fee of $2500 is due upon registration.
• Notice of student withdrawal must be made in writing. Withdrawal after August 15 of the current school year will result in a partial reimbursement of Tuition Fees, as prorated for the remainder of the school year after the date of withdrawal, using a per diem rate, as stated on your Tuition Fee Agreement.
• The Registration Fee will not be refunded.
• Any fees still outstanding will be due upon withdrawal.

• Preschool fees must be purchased directly from Oak Learners' website. Link to be provided by an office administrator.
• No enrolment will be processed to completion without a full term payment before the students first start date.
• Notice of student withdrawal must be received in writing. Withdrawal after the start of each term will result in a 5% non-refundable enrollment commitment fee; any withdrawal before the end of a term, will result in an additional non-refundable enrollment commitment fee equivalent to 50% of the remaining program fees.
• Missed classes are not eligible for make-up classes or credits.

• Full payment must be received at the time of registration. We will not hold timeslots without payment. Credits must be purchased directly from Oak Learners' website.
• Notice of student withdrawal must be received in writing. Two weeks, written notice is required to terminate lessons for any reason.
• Any termination, for any reason made by a student/parent will result in forfeiting a fee equal to three lessons/or credits paid from the date of the written notice. Oak Learners will refund any remaining payments beyond the three lessons. Post dated cheques will also be returned. Refunds will be returned by cheque within 3 weeks of the student’s withdrawal date.
• Private lessons cancelled by the student/parent received within less than 24 hours notice will be charged at the full amount of the cancelled lesson.
• A make up lesson can be made up provided a minimum of 24 hours notice is received by Oak Learners and the cancellation is due to a reasonable cause (ie. illness, family emergency, vacation). Otherwise, the late notice cancellation applies.
• All make up lessons must be made up within the 2 weeks withdrawal notice time or the lessons will be forfeited.

Registration & Payment Terms

1. Full-Year Commitment Registration for the B.A.S.E. Camp is for the entire school year, totaling 40 weeks of programming.
2. Non-Refundable Registration Fee A non-refundable registration fee of $600 per student is due immediately upon registration to secure placement in the program.
3. Sibling Discount A 5% sibling discount will be applied to the remaining balance (after deposit) for each additional child registered in the program.
4. Final Payment Deadline The balance of fees is due in full annually by June 1st, unless an approved installment payment plan is in place.
5. Installment Payment Schedules Options Installment Payment Schedules are subject to administration fees. (Standard at 3% & Extended at 5%)
6. Late Payments Late or overdue payments may be subject to additional late fees, as determined by Oak Learners’ administrative team.



*Because our program relies on long-term planning, the enrollment fee is non-refundable. It supports the advance preparation we make for each student, including staffing and classroom resources - and these commitments cannot be easily reversed without impacting the entire program.




Withdrawal Policy

7. Notice of Withdrawal Families must provide written notice at least 3 weeks in advance of the intended withdrawal date.
8. Post-June 1st Withdrawals Withdrawals submitted after June 1st will incur a 5% administration fee, calculated on a prorated basis for weeks already attended or reserved.
9. Withdrawals After Program Start Withdrawals after the program begins will result in a 5% administration fee, and an additional charge equal to 50% of the remaining program fees.
10. Outstanding Balances Any unpaid fees or outstanding installment payments will become due immediately upon withdrawal.
11. Post-Dated Cheques Once any balance is settled, remaining post-dated cheques will be returned.

Credit Policy (Standard Practice)

In most cases, any eligible refund amount will be issued as a lifetime credit with Oak Learners. This credit can be applied toward any future Oak Learners program for any immediate family member, allowing families continued access to our wide range of educational offerings.

**Alternate refund arrangements may be made at the discretion of the Board of Directors.

1. Full payment for camp registration must be received at the time of registration.
2. All summer camp cancellations made before June 1st of the same program year are subject to a 10% administration fee of the original purchase amount.
3. All cancellations must be provided in writing; we do not accept cancellation requests over the phone
4. All cancellations of summer camp weeks made on or after June 1st of the same program year, will only be refunded by 50% of the original purchase amount being canceled.
5. Credits can be issued for the full amount of cancelled week(s) (and or days remaining) at the time of cancellation.
6. Credits have no expiration date and can be used towards any future Oak Learners program registration. They are transferable to any immediate family member associated with the Oak Learners account.